Homie (band)

Last updated
Homie
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genres Alternative rock, indie rock
Years active1997–1998
Past members

Homie was an American rock supergroup, which was the side project of Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of the band Weezer. Homie, as it stands now, was a one-time effort, and were only active for a year. Homie has officially released just one song, "American Girls", for the soundtrack of the 1998 film Meet the Deedles . For this recording, Cuomo was joined by Greg Brown (member of Cake and Deathray), Matt Sharp (formerly of Weezer, lead singer of The Rentals), Adam Orth of Shufflepuck and Yuval Gabay of Soul Coughing and Sulfur. [1]

Contents

Overview

Weezer fans sometimes erroneously apply the Homie moniker to a very different Cuomo-led group of Boston-area musicians that played several shows while Rivers took time off from Harvard. This group was not Homie, but were played under the guise of Rivers Cuomo solo shows and the material played at these shows were songs Rivers had written for the third Weezer album at the time. This Band included members of other local bands such as Chevy Heston, Heretix, and The Shods. This band is often referred to by fans as "The Rivers Cuomo Band", although this was never a name used by the band.

The "Rivers Cuomo Band" formed in 1997 and began playing in October of that year they were a way for Cuomo to release solo music and play small clubs. For the first show the lineup of the band consisted of Rivers Cuomo, Kevin Stevenson, Mikey Welsh, and Zeph Courtney. After Stevenson complained of being unable to work with the current lineup, Welsh and Courtney were replaced with Fred Eltringham and Drew Parsons. This was the lineup for the second show in late October. By the third show Cuomo had come up with a fully developed solo project he called Homie. Further shows were billed as Homie and the material played at Homie shows were exclusive to the Homie project and are assumed to have been intended for the Homie album which was worked on in 1997 and 1998.

The song "Wanda (You're My Only Love)", although originally written as a Weezer song for the movie Angus, is considered to be a Homie song since it was played during the Homie shows. The song "Wanda (You're My Only Love)" was released on Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo,. The song "I'll Think About You" was released on Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo .

According to Cuomo's blog,[ citation needed ] master tapes of recording sessions made during the Homie-era exist, but are largely unfinished, having only drum tracks laid down. Bootlegs of their live shows have been available online since 1997 and played a small role in Weezer's resurgence following their second album, Pinkerton .

On February 20, 2009, a fan-made tribute was distributed by two members of a Weezer fan community, Jack Mergist (The Lifetaker) and Ryan Rowland (runnersdialzero). The tribute features an album worth of high-quality recordings of interpretations of Homie and Rivers Cuomo solo songs from this era.

In November 2020, a bunch of unreleased songs were released on Rivers Cuomo's website, and some of these songs, such as "Hot Tub" or "Rosemary," were possibly originally by Homie.

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer</span> American rock band

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Scott Shriner, and Brian Bell. They have sold 10 million albums in the US and more than 35 million worldwide.

<i>Weezer</i> (Green Album) 2001 album by Weezer

Weezer is the third studio album by American rock band Weezer. It was released on May 15, 2001, by Geffen Records. It was the second Weezer album produced by Ric Ocasek, who produced their debut album, and it is the only studio album to feature bassist Mikey Welsh, as he left the band a few months after the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Bell</span> American musician

Brian Lane Bell is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded fifteen studio albums. Bell also fronted the rock band The Relationship and was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Space Twins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivers Cuomo</span> American rock musician (born 1970)

Rivers Cuomo is an American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikey Welsh</span> American musician and painter (1971–2011)

Michael Edward Welsh was an American artist and musician who played bass for several bands, including the rock band Weezer. During Weezer's hiatus, he played with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo in the band Homie, during Cuomo's time in Boston. Following original bassist Matt Sharp's departure from Weezer, Welsh joined as bassist and played with them from the time that they unofficially regrouped in 1998 until August 2001, when he experienced mental health problems. Shortly afterwards, he retired from music to focus on his art career. Welsh died from a drug overdose on October 8, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Shriner</span> Musical artist

Scott Gardner Shriner is an American musician best known as a member of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded twelve studio albums. Joining the band in 2001, Shriner is the band's longest serving bass guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Sharp</span> American musician (born 1969)

Matthew Kelly Sharp is an American songwriter and musician. Until 1998, he was the bassist for the rock band Weezer, which he cofounded in 1992. He appears on their first two albums, the Blue Album (1994) and Pinkerton (1996). In 1994, Sharp founded the Rentals, who have released five albums. Sharp has also released an EP and an album as a solo artist.

Jason Rosanoff Cropper is an American musician. He was a founding member and the guitarist of the American alternative rock band Weezer. He left the band before the release of their debut album Weezer.

<i>The Lion and the Witch</i> 2002 live EP by Weezer

The Lion and the Witch is a live EP by American rock band Weezer. Recorded in Japan in the spring of 2002 while promoting Maladroit, released on September 24, 2002, exactly six years after the release of Pinkerton. It was distributed as a limited edition release in independently owned music stores with only 25,000 copies having been made. The album was then rereleased and remastered on vinyl in 2015, with only 3,000 copies made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Wilson (drummer)</span> American musician, singer and songwriter

Patrick George Wilson is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and co-founding member of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded fifteen studio albums.

The Kitchen Tape is a demo tape by the American rock band Weezer. It was recorded on August 1, 1992, prior to the band's signing with Geffen Records. Although the band had recorded some demos before, these were the band's most serious attempt at the time. According to Karl Koch, the band's webmaster and historian, the purpose of the tape was "...to get shows and also try to make an impression. There were no aspirations yet to try to generate real label interest, but the concept of 'creating a buzz' was being thrown around."

<i>Christmas CD</i> 2001 EP by Weezer

Weezer's Christmas CD is a two-track promotional EP officially released January 1, 2001. It was sent to radio stations, as well as in small quantities to members of the band's fan club. The songs were recorded at Rivers Cuomo's home studio, dubbed "Mocha Fusion Studios", in October and November of 2000. Additional work was done at Cello Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photograph (Weezer song)</span> 2001 single by Weezer

"Photograph" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the third and final single from the band's self-titled third album, Weezer. "Photograph" was released as the first single off the album in Japan instead of "Hash Pipe". The song enjoyed only modest success on the radio, peaking at #17 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

"Only in Dreams" is a song by American rock band Weezer. It is the tenth and final track on their 1994 self-titled debut album. At slightly under eight minutes, it is to date Weezer's longest song. It is most noteworthy for its three-minute crescendo of the two guitars, bass, and drums, in which the dynamics gradually increase and the timbre builds up layers until the climaxing guitar solo at the end.

<i>Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo</i> 2007 compilation album by Rivers Cuomo

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by American musician and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It was released on December 18, 2007 by Geffen Records. It is available as a digital release, CD release and 12" vinyl. The album features home demos that Cuomo has recorded from 1992–2007.

<i>Weezer</i> (Red Album) 2008 album by Weezer

Weezer is the sixth studio album and third self-titled album by the American rock band Weezer, released on June 3, 2008, by DGC and Interscope Records. Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee both produced parts of the album, with the band producing a handful of tracks themselves. Like in the band's 1994 debut, all band members contributed to songwriting. This is the first and, so far, the only Weezer album to feature lead vocals from all four band members. The album also features more musical experimentation in comparison to their previous efforts, especially shown in such songs as "Dreamin'", "The Angel and The One", and "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived".

<i>Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo</i> 2008 compilation album by Rivers Cuomo

Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by the Weezer songwriter Rivers Cuomo. It is Cuomo's second compilation of demos, after Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, and includes material written for Weezer's unfinished album Songs From the Black Hole. Alone II debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart with first-week sales of 6,000. It was followed by Alone III: The Pinkerton Years (2011).

<i>Raditude</i> 2009 studio album by Weezer

Raditude is the seventh studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on October 30, 2009 and is their final album on DGC Records, Geffen Records and Interscope Records. The title of the album was suggested to Weezer vocalist Rivers Cuomo by actor Rainn Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivers Cuomo discography</span>

This discography lists the recordings Rivers Cuomo has released as a solo artist.

<i>Weezer</i> (Teal Album) 2019 album by Weezer

Weezer, also known as the Teal Album or just Teal, is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Weezer. It was released digitally on January 24, 2019, through Crush Music and Atlantic Records, with a retail release on March 8. The album is composed of cover songs, mostly from the 1980s, making it the band's first covers album. It was announced and released on the same day as a surprise precursor to Weezer's thirteenth studio album, which was released on March 1, 2019. The album received mixed reviews, with some praising the self-aware frivolity of the project, while others criticized the arrangements.

References

  1. Luerssen D., John. Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story. ECW Press, 2004, ISBN   1-55022-619-3 p. 251